I recommend reading the whole thing, but let's just see how many of the Four Rules the officers clearly violated, often with catastrophic results. Italics below are mine.

Rule One: All guns are always loaded.

The first accident occurred in February 1989 – less than a month before theguns reached officers on the street. Officer Adam K. Schutz was helping to testand clean the first shipment of guns when he shot himself in the fingers."It bit me," said Schutz, who was left with permanent damage to a finger onhis left hand. "I was moving my hand to lower the slide and it jumped forward. Ihad assumed the gun was unloaded."

Keep in mind that this is someone in the armorer's shop. It gets better.

Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

In January 1994, homicide detective Jeffrey Mayberry shot Officer James Dukes inthe stomach at police headquarters. "I hear a loud bang and Dukes is slowly falling to the floor," Detective Joseph Fox, Mayberry's partner, said in a deposition. "Jeff jumps up and says, 'Dukes, I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to do it.' "Dukes said in a recent interview, "He was playing with the weapon. This was the second time I had told [Mayberry] during that tour of duty not to point the weapon at me."

Sorry, dude. Didn't mean to sweep you with my Glock and plug you in the gut.

Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

In October 1990, Officer Edward Wise fired accidentally and grazed a man'shead during an undercover drug operation at a Southeast Washington housingcomplex, according to police and court documents. Wise said he had beenstruggling with the man, Barry Braxton, who was unarmed. Braxton sued andcollected a $55,000 settlement from the District.Sabrina Whittle, who wasWise's partner, said in a recent interview that she and her partner were nottaught to keep their fingers off the triggers of their Glocks unless theyintended to fire."The most we had to go on was common sense," said Whittle,then a 21-year-old police rookie, now a security guard. "It was dark and lateand we were scared. I know that, both of us being scared, he had his finger onthe trigger. Obviously, [with] your finger on the trigger, you'reprepared."

Yes, prepared to accidentally shoot someone. The fact that this is in the paper and not buried in some investigation report, and that the former officer doesn't realize how wrong-headed it is - eesh.

Rule Four: Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

In March 1993, Officer Lakisha Poge fired a round through her bed whileunloading a Glock in her apartment, a police report states. The bullet wentthrough the floor and hit Glowdean Catching in the apartment below. Catching,who was wounded in both legs, has a suit pending against the District. Poge, whohas left the department, could not be reached for comment.

In this officer's defense, you could do worse than a bed and a floor as a backstop.

There is nothing magical about being in the military or carrying a badge along with your gun. There are people who invest in safe gun handling and proficiency. Sometimes those people happen to serve in the military or in law enforcement agenices. Sometimes they don't.

Friday, August 28, 2009

ATF changes its mind and will consider permanently attached 1.5" muzzle brakes as part of barrel length to meet the 16" minimum for rifles. In related news, I am not a federal felon.

David Hardy provides a link to the new NRA guide to interstate transportation of firearms and some coverage of the suit against the NYC/New Jersey Port Authority for arresting travelers at airports even though the TSA has said that they are transporting firearms in accordance with federal law.

The posting at AR-15.com is already at eight pages of discussion, but the bottom line is that if you put a round through your wall and it goes through the next three townhouses, expect the law to get involved. Also, Glocks have internal safeties that prevent a discharge upon impact with the floor. Let it drop.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

In my post on Go-Pants I mentioned the importance of having a cell phone (or pocket to carry one) in your home defense kit. In this post, I'll discuss a gadget that makes this easier.

But first, let me clarify: though I didn't mention it, I was certainly armed when the suspicious character in my Go-Pants post knocked on the door. I wouldn't answer the door under these circumstances unarmed. Sebastian voiced this concern, I just wanted to set the record straight.

Back to helpful gear. In this comment, Joe recommends having an old cell phone handy because all cellphones are required to dial 911 free of charge. Sounds like a good idea. I'll have to dig up an old phone and keep it handy.

If you don't mind paying money for an emergency phone, the folks at 911phone.net have you covered. A student brought one of these in to my last legal seminar on self-defense laws in Virginia, and it seemed pretty useful. It comes with a neck lanyard (all the better to record your defensive encounter with while keeping your hands free to manipulate a handgun, flashlight, and guide loved ones to safety) and a single button preprogrammed to dial 911. The price seems a bit steep - $189.95, but there are no monthly fees associated. I'm not sure on dropping the scratch to get one, but if price were no object the simplicity of it is hard to argue with. Here's a picture:

Anyone own one of these things? Is the money worth it or is there some charitable cell phone recycling program that achieves this on the cheap?

You'd think this would go without saying, but some guy in Florida did so rather innocently. In an open carry state like Virginia this is less of a problem, but since Florida has no open carry even casual exposure of a concealed handgun is a big deal. Read the whole thing. (H/T Robb)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

MSNBC has a reasonably balanced article up on open carry. It starts and ends with an account of the Golden Market shooting down in Richmond, but has a bunch of GOA/SAF/Brady Bunch wrangling in between. On the upside is a parting word from the stop'n'rob clerk from the Golden Market now practicing open carry on a daily basis.

Friday, August 21, 2009

A couple of weeks ago an odd fellow dropped by the house late on a Saturday night claiming to be a travelling salesman named George. He wasn't much of a salesman, and it seemed like a ruse to determine who was home that night and who wasn't. Plus, there was a white van trolling the neighborhood that was probably linked to George. Presumably it contained his accomplices who had plenty of cargo space in their vehicle to cart off televisions and the like.

I called the cops and suited up in my Go-Pants.

What are Go-Pants? Somewhere in between not being armed and strapping on a tactical vest and an AR-15 to survive the zombiepocalypse is a useful set of tools to deal with the problems that present themselves on a more regular basis. If you are out and about running errands, it may be a concealed handgun, a spare magazine, and a cell phone. When things go bump in the night it helps to have an emergency kit set up to deal with it. I'm a firm believer in being able to wear my emergency kit - my Go-Pants.

Go-Pants are what I have staged under my bedside gun safe. Handgun is locked up in a small safe, loaded and equipped with a rail-mounted light. Go-Pants have a retention holster, magazine pouch, two loaded magazines, and a separate flashlight with a neck lanyard. Plus plenty of pocket space to hold a cell phone, keys, and identification. If I have to leave the bedroom during a break-in (not Plan A) I'll be wearing them.

Picture of said Go-Pants below:

Yes, technically they are Go-Shorts - it's summer. I've played with a different name for them, but Readiness Trousers doesn't have the same ring.

Here is Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch describing a similar concept, a pouch with a neck lanyard to hold your spare magazine, cell phone, light, and keys:

The great thing about shooting competitively is that this is essentially my IDPA competition rig. So, all that time spent standing around with a gun on one hip and two magazines on the other isn't wasted - my magazines are where I am used to them being and I've got tools to deal with a lot more than I do with just a gun.

Back to George the Travelling Salesman. The police showed up and took him into custody for unlicensed soliciting. When they came to the door to take a statement from me, I stepped out on to the porch with my Go-Pants on. This is another advantage over carrying your defensive handgun around, a legal one. Open carry is legal in Virginia, but it ought to be done sensibly when the police are called to your location to investigate suspicious activity. A conversation with the police with a gun on your hip and one with a gun in your hand are two entirely different experiences. I'd bet there's a pretty clear change in tenor when you walk out of the front door with a gun in your hand.

Feedback from a friend in law enforcement advises me that I ought to add a cover garment to my kit to avoid being mistaken for the suspicious activity the police are looking for. This seems sensible, especially if something drew me out of the house while they were on their way. I can't think of what that might be, but it's a good reason to stage the whole IDPA kit, vest and all, under the nightstand.

Feel free to give some feedback on what I ought to add to the Go-Pants kit. Does anybody else keep a similar setup handy?

Please contact me to reserve a spot; this class will be limited to 20 people. Email me for reservations and billing information.

For the cost of 200 rounds of .45 ACP (if you can find it) you will get a much deeper understanding of self-defense in the Commonwealth of Virginia from an attorney. Plenty of shooters are willing to invest in their shooting skills but not many invest in their understanding of the legal boundaries of self-defense.

The seminar covers the following topics:

Purchase and possession of arms in the Commonwealth of Virginia

General legal guidelines for the use of force

Justification versus Excuse

Self-defense

Virginia's lack of a "castle doctrine" - and why it (mostly) doesn't matter

Defense of Others

Defense of Property

What is "open carry" and what is "concealed carry" in Virginia? Not quite what you think.

Interacting with Law Enforcement Officers

Travelling armed: planes, trains, and automobiles

What to do when in other jurisdictions: a practical "travelling" mode for reciprocal states

The travelling part is not just one subject; it is covered throughout the brief so that students have an idea how to deal with the laws governing self-defense in other states. The important part is knowing how they generally differ from Virginia (and they differ a lot).

A legal seminar is not a concealed handgun course - it is a legal class on the statutes and case law governing the open or concealed carry of a handgun. This DOES NOT meet the Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) requirements. Rather, this is intended for people who already have a CHP but are not versed in the law. If you received your CHP after a basic concealed handgun course with no discussion of the legal implications of using a handgun in self-defense, this is for you.

Disclaimer: The information provided in the seminar is not intended as individualized legal advice. I am not your lawyer. You are not my client. Participation in this seminar is expressly intended NOT to create an attorney-client relationship. Students will sign a waiver and agree to hold harmless Defensive Force Instructors, LLC before class starts.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Had a significant emotional event in my neighborhood Saturday night, one that warranted calling the police to report some suspicious activity. Had the Glock 21, a double-stack .45, on my hip. I figured this was as good an excuse as any to take the 21 out to the range on Sunday instead of the Glock 17 9mm.

My shooting was printing consistently left of where I aimed, which according to this diagram is indicative of the trigger finger not being far enough on the trigger. I attribute this to the heavy range time I get with the slimmer grip of the G17. Though the grips are similar, I wonder if the muscle memory I have on the slimmer grip makes my not put my finger in to the trigger guard far enough on the G21.

Which brings me to the subject of the Glock 21 Slim Frame. Does anybody own both a 17/22 and a 21SF? How much difference is there between the two grips? Is it worth getting a 21SF to reduce the amount of difference between my 9mm grip and my .45 grip?

About Me

I am a former Special Forces soldier, International Defensive Pistol Association Master-Class competitor, and an attorney in Virginia. I teach NRA certified handgun courses and specialized concealed carry courses on the side. This blog focuses on lawfully carrying a concealed handgun, pistol competition (IDPA and
USPSA) and the legal aspects of self-defense. The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author.

DISCLAIMER:I am not your lawyer. You are not my client. The information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only.Readers agree to hold harmless the author of this blog and Defensive Force Instructors, LLC.